Fire In Southeastern NM Getting More Resources

More crews and a higher-level management team are being assigned to a fire burning in extremely rugged terrain in the Gila National Forest in southeastern New Mexico.

A mandatory evacuation was ordered early Monday for the small community of Kingston but there's no word of any structures being burned. An evacuation center has been established at the community center in Hillsboro.

The Silver fire has burned just over 2 square miles. Fire management team spokesman Dave Boyd says the fire area last burned in 1925. He says that means there's plenty of fuel, mainly dead pine trees killed by beetles.